After some twists and turns, the meeting that was originally held at the Bashi Car Shop was held on the Qinshui River.
In the cabin, Chen Zhen and Lord Xinling were sitting opposite each other, Zhang Noi was sitting at the hatch, and Zeng Ji was sitting at the stern of the ship. Zeng Ji took off all his clothes, was shirtless, and wore a short skirt around his lower body, making him look like a young man.
Lord Xinling seemed to have no objection to this change. After some polite remarks, Lord Xinling got directly to the topic and asked: "When Mr. Chen came to the west, he was neither for Qin nor Jin, so why?"
Chen Zhen asked with great interest: "Master, why do you think I am not Qin Ye? If you say Han is connected with Qin and Wei Lianheng, don't you think I am Qin?"
Lord Xinling said: "Qin was trapped in the four battles and could not be evacuated. Although Han was connected to Qin, Qin lost its wealth; he talked about Wei Lianheng but hesitated to make a decision. None of this was to Qin's advantage."
Chen Zhen said with a smile: "Young Master is a talented man who is superior to ordinary people. Since the Shang Dynasty, the people of Qin have been fighting every year. What have they done? The punishments are harsh and the laws are harsh, and the prisoners are everywhere. If you have no military merit, it will be difficult to escape the crime." However, the land of Qin is desolate and there are many households needed."
Lord Xinling said: "That's why Qin must fight every year so that the prisoners can escape their crimes through meritorious service and replenish their households."
Chen Zhen said: "We have been fighting for many years, and there are many dead but few survivors. Merchants cannot do it, and transportation is cut off. The problem lies thousands of miles away. The country of the Three Jin Dynasties has transportation all over the world, and the harm is particularly serious."
Lord Xinling said: "However, the three Jin Dynasties are connected with the Qin Dynasty. The Qin Dynasty left Hangu and went east, passing Han first, and then Wei. It left Wuguan and reached Chu, and Chu Ying has become Qin County. As for Taiyuan and Shangdang, Although we are connected with Qin, if Qin is humble and the promotion is high, its power will be inconvenient; if we go east to Zhao, there will be no benefit."
Chen Zhen said: "That's why conquest is indispensable for Qin. But it is undesirable for Jin."
Lord Xinling said: "It's not because you don't want to, but because you are powerless. If you can get a hundred thousand people and dominate the world, what else can you do but a sage king?"
Chen Zhen said: "But why does the king want to do it but can't do it? He is powerless. When a hundred thousand people rise up, they provide food for thousands of miles, which costs thousands of gold a day. Those who fight for profit from thousands of miles will overthrow the generals. Therefore, if you win a hundred battles, your country will be destroyed. This is the way. This is known to everyone. However, although Qin fought hundreds of battles, the battles were fought with hundreds of thousands of people, but they could not give up their strength and were not short of wealth, so why not?"
Lord Xinling said: "I have thought about this for a long time but cannot figure it out. I hope you will teach me!"
Chen Zhen said: "Their place of residence is also among the prisoners. The prisoners did not fight, nor did they farm, they only repaired the city and built the river; those below them only cut firepower and fields. Under the Qin system, all prisoners were given Therefore, I will give you two stones of grain and two stones in the month; if you build a wall on the first day of the city, half a fight will be made on the first day, and one fight on the third day in the evening, the moon will be two and a half stones. If you gather together as a soldier, then the moon will be three stones, and you will fight for food every day. As a subordinate minister, everyone will suffer. It; gathering troops for war, everyone enjoys it. Why? The hardships in the city are endless, but if you have merit in the battle, you will be a people again. For the officials, the city and the soldiers are Fei Zheng and others. Therefore, Qin's conquest is also The top and bottom are of the same mind, but the strength is unyielding. When you are in trouble, you are a prisoner, and when you are successful, you are a prisoner. In the army, the soldiers are civilians, and the soldiers are prisoners. The cost is not too much, but the benefits are not much. In war, people People fight bravely to win the title of armor, even if they fight naked, they don't care. In the art of war, hundreds of people are killed, and they are trapped in chaos; thousands of people are killed, and the enemy is captured and killed; ten thousand people are killed, and they run rampant in the world. Today Qin has Even if a hundred thousand people who have been pillaged want to dominate the world, they can do it."
Lord Xinling said: "Wu Zi said, if you put the virtuous at the top and the unworthy at the bottom, then the formation will be stable; if the people are in peace with their fields and houses, and if they have relatives and officials, then they will be strong; the people will all be my ruler, not neighboring countries. Then he will be victorious. But what Qin did was the opposite, and he won the battle?"
Chen Zhen said: "What does it mean to rebel? Those who are good at fighting and beheading and have made meritorious deeds are at the top, and those who are cowardly and have no merit are at the bottom. This is how the formation is established. The people of Qin are easy to follow the law, and they all have relatives and officials. This is how they stick to it. The people of Qin are Qin and Wei. Also, just like the Wei people are Wei and not Qin, this is also a victory."
Lord Xinling said: "I only heard about Lord Shang's behavior. Blood flowed into a river. He said that the water was red. He was killing his people. The people should regard him as a bandit. However, the people of Qin still love him and have their own affairs. What can they do?"
Chen Zhen said: "I heard that Qin attacked Wei, and the people of Wei dispersed in an uproar. Is this true?"
Lord Xinling said: "That's right."
Chen Zhen said: "As we approach the battle and head north, I will kill them all! Young Master, what will you do?"
Lord Xinling said: "I can't do it."
Chen Zhen said: "If you advance, you will die as the enemy, but if you retreat, you will live. Do you still want your soldiers to sacrifice their lives? In the art of war, if you must die, you will live, and if you are lucky, you will die. My son's idea is to make all soldiers live in front of the battle. This is what you want to survive. Do you want to perish? This is the old law, which is based on faith. The practice of Qin's law is based on faith. Even if you are an enemy, you will be rewarded for your merits; although you are a relative, you will be punished for your mistakes. In any battle, soldiers should be afraid of the enemy. Victory, soldiers fear the enemy to the north of the general, and the enemy and the general are still weighed. If one wins, the other will lose, there is no difference. The prince weighs the Qin general, which one is afraid of the soldiers?"
Lord Xinling said in a panic: "Not as good as Qin. However, I am still confused. Wu Zi loves his soldiers like a son. He sucks the sores for the soldiers, but the soldiers do not turn around in battle. The boy is not talented, so I am willing to imitate him."
Chen Zhen said: "Wu Zi said, if the laws are unclear, rewards and punishments are not believed, gold will not stop, and drums will not advance, even if there are millions, what use is it! Wu Zi said, drums, drums, gold and duo, so they are powerful; flags and banners. , so it is awe-inspiring; prohibitions and punishments, so it is awe-inspiring. If the three are not established, even if you have a country, you will be defeated by the enemy. If you advance, you will be rewarded heavily, if you retreat, you will be severely punished. If you act with faith, if you can achieve this through trial, you will be the victor. Yes. This is what Wu Zi’s teachings are about, not just sucking the sores but dying personally. I hope you will observe this."
Lord Xinling did not expect that Chen Zhen was so familiar with Wu Zi's words. He felt ashamed and said: "You must read the military books every time and cultivate your way again. Now that we are in trouble, Qin is going to conquer. What should we do with the military supplies?"
Chen Zhen said: "Qin's wars often don't add months. What's more, the food is limited. For military food, China uses millet, cooks in pots, and adds salt and plums, or not. The Qin people are very simple, using millet. Roast it with fire until it is dry and cooked, and three stones of millet will become one stone, with salt in it. When eating, soak it in water and you will get it, and you will get dry food. Soldiers will try their best to carry the grain, but they will get one stone, but too much will be unbearable. Therefore, if you add more troops, it will only last one month."
Lord Xinling said: "This is also easy. If Wei does it, will it be possible?"
Chen Zhen said: "It is not easy to roast the millet to make it dry and ripe. If it is too much, it will be burnt, and if it is not enough, it will be insufficient. This must be done by the concubine and roasted according to the method. The military officer will test it and it is feasible. There are also concubines in the Wei Dynasty who live in the wild. ?Is there a way to roast millet?"
Lord Xinling said: "This is also what the law punishes. If a gentleman cannot do it with harsh punishments and laws, how can Qin rely on it to succeed?"
Chen Zhen said: "Those who want to control the world with virtue should rule by etiquette. Those who want to conquer the world with force should rule with laws. Although severe punishments and harsh laws cannot be adopted in Suiyuan, we can still gather the strength of the people to rule the country and bring peace to the world. also."
Lord Xinling said: "Those who embrace the world with virtue will be virtuous in the world. Those who subdue the world with authority will be abandoned by the world. That's the reason. If you are ignorant and talk nonsense, let him teach you."
Chen Zhen said: "The words of the prince are the teachings of the sages. The words of the sages are as good as possible and as beautiful as possible. Those who are evil should be punished by the law. This is not the case with Qin's actions. The law guides them. What is good can also eliminate its evil. Although it cannot be perfect, it cannot eliminate all evil. However, its actions are obvious, its effects are outstanding, and the people are all virtuous. Therefore, although Qin has severe punishments and harsh laws, the people are convenient. What is it? If you retreat, you will die, but if you advance, you will be rewarded with merit. If you kill one person, you will be promoted to one noble. In a country of thousands of chariots, who can do it? And Qin can do it alone. One level of noble family will benefit one hectare of farmland, nine acres of house, and only one person can be eliminated. , so they can be hired as military officers. Over the past hundred years, Du Qin has not neglected its efforts. Therefore, the people are willing to take advantage of it and compete for merit and reward."
Lord Xinling said: "Is this also the right way for the world?"
Chen Zhen said: "When the Shang kings entered Qin, they first entered the Duke of Qin with the imperial way, then used the royal way, and then used the domineering way. The Duke of Qin did not use them. What else? The way of the emperor is better than that of the three generations, and the sage and his body are famous. Can the world wait for hundreds of years to become an emperor? Therefore, Shang Jun said it in terms of the art of strengthening the country. It was a last resort. Qin's accumulated weakness could not be eliminated without strong medicine and powerful drugs. Therefore, killing people filled the fields, saying that water was Red, and the people will eventually suffer from it.”
Lord Xinling said: "Is severe punishment and harsh laws the way to strengthen a country?"
Chen Zhen said: "Yes. However, it is difficult to compare with the virtues of Yin and Zhou Dynasties."
Lord Xinling said: "Qin has this way to strengthen the country and dominate the world. How can it rely on Chen Gong's help? There must be something to do."
Chen Zhendao: "Young master has doubts, so I solved them. It's not that I hid them. The Qin Dynasty enforced harsh laws, and prisoners were everywhere in the wild, but there were few people who could do anything. Walls were built with soil, and everything was repaired. And the prisoners were fed. Still offering. Every battle, one city or two cities, it is difficult to respond. What? If the prisoner is one hundred thousand, and the monthly payment is two stones, he will get two hundred thousand stones, and the year will be two million four hundred thousand stones. The household tax is tithe, then only Fifteen stones, 100,000 prisoners, but not 160,000 households cannot be given. One city and two cities, with no more than 30,000 to 50,000 households, how can we get the number. It is difficult to obtain this benefit without ten cities. But today's world is fierce, and the walls are strong and high. All weapons for war and defense are prepared. With a hundred thousand people, how can we capture ten cities? Last year, when we attacked Wei, we only captured two cities, with no more than ten thousand households. Even though we made great achievements, we won’t be able to achieve any benefit. I come back this year and want to capture them. Li Ye."
Lord Xinling was so angry that he laughed and said, "Qin has won two cities, but he is not ambitious enough, but he wants to win ten of my cities?"
Chen Zhen was unmoved and remained calm and said: "Young master, I have raised an army of one hundred thousand troops now, and it is difficult to provide them with food. Qin often raises hundreds of thousands of disciples, and it is hard to count them. Anyone who has a guest can tell me, Jin With Qin Lianheng, Qin faked Jin's troops to open up the territory, and Jin and Qin provided grain to the prisoners. It was not a contradiction in terms! Therefore, when I came east, I really wanted to facilitate these two things. It was not for Qin alone, nor for Jin. "
Lord Xinling was completely unexpected when he heard such news. At first I was tempted: If I could only provide some food, I could get an elite army to attack cities and expand the territory, which seemed to be a very cost-effective thing. If you think about it carefully, it would be terrible if this army ran rampant in your own country! Then I thought about it, isn’t this also the case when countries reinforce each other’s troops? I was confused for a moment and couldn't figure things out.
Seeing that Lord Xinling was deep in thought, Chen Zhen was silent for a moment, and then took the initiative to break the silence and said: "The strength of Qin's army is known to all the world. It does not require much food. One month of death, three stones of food." . If you have one soldier, you will be given thirty-six dan of food. There is no need to cheat. If you have 10,000 soldiers, it will cost you 360,000 dan. If you open up a thousand dans, it will be a benefit to both parties."
Zhang Ye was sitting at the hatch. Although he did not participate in the conversation, he still had to listen in. He felt that his heart was up and down and he couldn't control himself. He did not expect that behind this war, there was such a background, such layers of cause and effect, forming a dense network that involved everyone.
